1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved hingeable connector assembly including at least one female terminal member and at least one male terminal member which are arranged to be rotatable relatively to each other, while holding their electrical connection.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
So-called hingeable connectors or rotatable connectors, have become widely used, with various objects for the purpose of maintaining electrical connection between two printed circuit boards while being rotated with respect to one another. The connector of this type makes it easier to mount electronic components in a limited space in a high density arrangement.
Hingeable connector assemblies usually have a male connector rotatably mateable with a female connector. Each connector includes a housing mounting one or more terminals. Depending on the size or shape of the area in which the hingeable connector assembly is mounted, the disposition of the male connector relative to the female connector when the two are mated may be important. If the area is small or oddly shaped, it may be difficult to mate the connectors together.
Heretofore, various types of hingeable connectors providing means for inserting one of the connectors to the other have been proposed. For example, Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open Nos. 142481/1985, 109187/1985, 166985/1985, 136080/1985, 160488/1985 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,632,475 disclose the hingeable connectors of this type.
The designs disclosed in these prior art references are different from each other, but they have a common means of mating the male and female connectors. The hingeable connector assembly includes an engaging pin projecting from the housing of one connector, while the housing of the other connector includes a groove arranged to receive said engaging pin. In this manner, the mating connectors are rotatably connected under guidance of the slidable engagement of the pin and the groove. Such a construction necessitates the operation of inserting the engaging pin of one of the housings into the groove of the other housing at the time of connecting the female connector with the male connector. Consequently, the following problems are caused:
(a) The direction in which the one is to be inserted into the other is limited by the form or the direction of the pin receiving groove.
(b) When the inserting direction is changed there may be a case where the connector cannot be used as a whole.
(c) There may be a case where freedom in design of the apparatus is limited.
(d) If various types of hingeable connector assemblies having different inserting directions are prepared in order to increase the freedom in design, the handling and/or managing operation of these many types of these assemblies are troublesome.
If the means of mechanically engaging the mating connectors together are not formed on the male and female connector housing but formed on the male and female terminals themselves, the freedom of the inserting direction of the one into the other may be obtained. However, the electrical contact point must be held at the center of rotation. This may be difficult to accomplish.
A means of effecting a rotatable electrical connection of this type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,657,320 assigned to the assignee of the present invention.